Improvement in water-wheels



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN S. ROVELL, DEWITT C. TELLER, AND MICHAEL F. LOWTH, OF BEAVER DAM, WISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-WHEELS.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 23,611, dated April 12, 1859.

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that we, JOHN S. ROWELL, DE- WITT C. TELLER, and MICHAEL F. LOWTH, of BeaverDam, in the county of Dodge and State of Vsconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Water-Wheels; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which-- Figure lis a side elevation of the wheel detached from the scroll. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of the wheel and scroll, and Fig. 8 a horizontal section of the same.

Similar letters of reference in each of the several figures indicate corresponding parts.

The nature of our invention consists, first, in the combination of a series of curved guides with the buckets of a water-Wheel, in the manner hereinafter specified, whereby the guides and buckets revolve together, and the former receive the first action or direct impulse of the water while they are serving the office of conducting the same in a collected body down upon the latter in a manner to secure its full effect before it escapes, and consequently increase the power of the wheel.

Our invention consists, second, in having the guides curved and fitted to a hub of the wheel, and arranged on a rising and falling governor or springregulated capping-plate, so as to overhang the buckets and extend v down more or less over the discharge-orifices of the saine, as hereinafter specified, whereby the size of the discharge-orifices of the buckets isincreased or decreased in the following manner, to wit: When resistance is applied to the wheel, the action of the water on the guides causes them to rise and open wider the orifices, and thus allow a more free and rapid escape of the water, and consequently increase the speed of the wheel. Again, when the speed of the wheel increases, owing to a withdrawal of the resistance, the spring or governor forces the guides down and thus reduces the size of the orifices of the buckets and retards the escape of the water, and consequently lessens the speed of the wheel.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

A represents the scroll of the Wheel; B, the central shaft, arranged, as usual, to run in a step C, and DD D the buckets, set inclined to a horizontal plane within a circular rim E, so as to have dischargeorifices F between them, as shown in Fig. l by dotted lines.

G G G are curved guides fitted loosely to a circular hub H of the wheel, and attached fast to a revolving capping-plate I, as shown. These guides are arranged and curved so as to overhang the buckets and to extend partly over the orifices F thereof, as shown in Fig. 1. They are also, notwithstanding being fitted loosely to the hub, so as to be capable of rising and falling independently of the same, connected with the hub by means of pins ct c in a manner to be compelled to revolve with it.

.I is an inverted ball-governor attached t0 the capping-plate of the guides and to the central shaft, as shown. This governor serves for automatically lowering the guides so as to decrease the size of the orifices of the buckets when the resistance to the revolution of the wheel is partly withdrawn.

Instead of a governor, a spiral spring or other yielding and regulating device maybe arranged between the capping-plate and a pin or collar of the central shaft, or otherwise applied, as the effect will be the same, excepting that such devices fail to aid the ascent of the buckets and the holding of the same in suspension, as the governor does by the centrifugal force of its balls.

It is by giving the buckets a curved shape and fitting them loosely ou a solid hub that they receive the direct impulse of the water as it changes its direction to pass onto the buckets, and also that the water is held collected and conducted in a body upon the buckets. The curved and overhanging form of the guides also insures their rising and opening wider the oriiices of the buckets when the pressure of the water exceeds the weight of the governor or other regulator of the capping-plate.

This wheel is perfectly self-regulating, and yet in its construction is exceedingly simple and durable.

What We claim as our invention, and desire and extend down more-or less over the disto secure by Letters Patent, ischarge-orioes of the same, as herein specil. The combination of a series of Curved ed, and for the purposes set forth. guides G G with the buckets D of a Water- Wheel E H, in the manner herein specified, JOHN S. ROVELL. and for the purposes set forth. DEWITT C. TELLER.

. 2. Having the guides curved and fitted to MICHAEL F. LOWTH. a hub of the Wheel and arranged ona rising and falling governor or spring-regulated eapping-plate I, so as to overhang the buckets Witnesses: T. B. CATLIN, JOHN PERRY. 

